The prior art provides numerous systems for providing such an electrical ground in automotive vehicles. The simplest system comprises the use of a self-tapping screw which is secured to a suitable location on the vehicle and which holds the ground wire to the vehicle. This method is highly susceptible to having the ground connection deteriorate with a resulting increase in electrical resistance, as well as shaking loose entirely during normal operation of the vehicle.
An improved prior art system involves the use of a welded ground stud. Where welded ground studs are used, the welding is necessarily done before painting. Therefore, the washer portion and the threads of the stud become painted during the painting operation. It is necessary to protect the stud's washer and threads from the paint, or else to strip the paint off before using the ground stud as an electrical ground. If the paint were not stripped off, the paint would insulate the stud, thus totally destroying the electrical grounding function of the stud.
Another prior art system includes parts which are thrown away, which is undesirable for many reasons including increased cost and environmental pollution. The present invention also solves these problems.
Also, if a ground wire and nut were forced down the threads of a conventional fully painted stud, the wire would be insulated from the painted washer portion. While some paint would be stripped out of the threads by the nut, this stripped off paint could be pushed onto the washer, thus further obstructing the electrical grounding function of the stud. In addition, the stripped paint will likely produce a "soft" joint which may loosen as the paint erodes away. All of these prior art problems are solved by the present invention.
Other prior art systems involve other means for stripping the paint from the welded stud's threads. This involves additional steps, additional labor, additional cost, delays, opportunities to damage the stud, opportunities to get stripped off paint on the electrical grounding surfaces, and the like. These problems are also solved by the present invention.